Ruthless
by mermaidinthemaking
Summary: Life finds a way to pull John Wick back in after he forms an unlikely friendship with his neighbor. Smart, quick, and ruthless, she reminds John of who he is and what he could be. As he sets out to help her on her path to revenge, he remembers what it is to be human. *I do not own any of the characters or places mentioned from the movie John Wick or John Wick 2*
1. Chapter 1

It started with her.

The girl had moved to the farm closest to Wick's property approximately seventeen months ago. She had three large greenhouses behind her small home. Beside the house grew a large flower garden. John only knew this because he drove past her place to get to town, and occasionally he allowed himself a look. A month and three weeks in, she returned the dog after he had run away. Flowers were stuck in his collar and dark soil clung to his paws but she did not seem to be angry. John apologized but she insisted unnecessary. She noticed John's lack of, well about everything. A week later she left a slice of cake on the porch, insisting it was extra and that she could not eat it herself. Thirteen days after that Wick met her at the gas station, fueling up her 1970 Ford Bronco. She had a basket of daisies in the back seat. She noticed him staring so she gave him one.

The dog liked her. Wick liked her.

Along with her Bronco, she had a 1966 Shelby GT Mustang that she occasionally took out for a spin. John heard the burn outs and invited her to his hangar.

She ran a floral design business out of her farm. John often saw her in town delivering pieces to clients. They usually enjoyed a bottle of wine and leftover cake after she had finished a wedding.

She began to pick up treats for the dog, and sometimes treats for John. Though disciplined he was a sucker for Twizzlers.

He had noticed her accent the moment they first spoke but it wasn't until she introduced him to her special collection of home brewed Kentucky Bourbon did he appreciate her heritage.

Their friendship was simple and comforting. That is why, after neither seeing nor hearing from her in eleven days, John decided to drive over.

The farm was small but well maintained. She had insisted that his dog have the run of her place as well, she claimed he was a good watch dog. John disagreed but let the dog out nonetheless.

The house was a comfortable size, and it shone pale blue in the moonlight. He tapped on the door twice.

No answer.

A sound in the house set John's body on alert.

He tapped again.

This time she answered. One hand carefully tucked behind her back. He could tell she was not expecting anyone. "Hello John," she said as she cautiously closed the door behind her.

"Hey, Mal." He grumbled. He was unsure of how to interact with her in this setting. He imagined this was what a father endured when his daughter missed curfew. A cut on her cheek drew a thin line of blood down to her jaw.

She leaned back against the door, trying to feign casualty, and perhaps would have succeeded if she were not in the company of a world class assassin. Someone moaned from inside.

"Where's the dog?" She asked, her accent deep. White knuckles clung to the door knob.

"Back at the house. Just thought I'd check up on you. Haven't heard from you in a while." This exchange had them both feeling the sensation of something being very off, but also very familiar. She usually kept a basket of flowers, which John knew were mums just because of the time he had spent with her, beside the door. The basket had been knocked over. It felt just as out of place as he did standing awkwardly on the porch, uninvited inside.

"I had to go out of town. Family business." John saw something flash in her eyes. He became very wary of what was to come. He had suspected that the girl was a part of this world for a long time, but instead of feeling satisfied with confirmation of his suspicion, he was left feeling worried instead.

A crash came from inside the house. The girl blinked once, an annoyed smile turned her lips up at the corners. "You seem busy. I'll leave you to it." John said.

She looked back at him in understanding.

He glanced at her feet as she walked in the door. Blood splattered on the corner of her slipper.

She entered the house and John walked back to his car. He could smell the lingering scent of discharge from the firearm aimed at the back of his head before he felt the cold metal against his skin. John took a deep breath.

One shot and the man's blood sprayed onto John's shoulders.

John turned. The girl stood on her porch, Heckler and Koch in hand.

Wick had helped her paint her living room this past summer, but the crimson blood did not complement the yellow hue.

"Delphi Kane. Dinner reservation. 12 please. Thanks, Frankie." She spoke on the phone.

Realization washed over John. He was not one to show surprise, but he was also impressed that she had hidden her identity so well. He had heard her name in circles before. Dangerous circles. He asked her a question with his eyes as she laid down the phone. She answered sarcastically with a dangerous grin.

"You should go." The girl, Delphi, stated. John tried to not be offended. He didn't say anything, but she saw it nonetheless. "Look- I've got some things I need to sort out. You've spent a lot of time getting out of this business. If you stick around here, they'll pull you back in."

John thought for a moment.

Then he helped her move the bodies.


	2. Chapter 2

Delphi had been surprised to find John Wick at her door tonight. Almost as surprised as she was when she recognized him while returning his dog many months ago. The man had a way about him that she just could not figure.

Delphi embraced Frankie and each of the cleanup crew as they entered her house, but did not speak a word. She left her company for only a moment, and returned with 13 gold coins. She was a heavy tipper.

"13 is an unlucky number, Miss Delphi." Frankie croaked.

"Tot, kto boitsya neudachi nikogda ne budet znat' khorosho" She answered in Russian as she kissed the old man's cheek. _He who is afraid of bad luck will never know good._ John closed the door behind them.

Delphi, feeling a little guilty for not being entirely truthful with John, almost explained herself to him right then and there.

Seeing John Wick out of a suit was a strange experience. Seeing him out in the middle of rural Pennsylvania was even stranger. She can remember the fear that began to gnaw on her body upon discovering him that day, the dog panting beside her. He was the only thing that had scared her in a long time.

Up until she received that package last week.

John, a man of few words, had come to enjoy the chattiness of his companion. She usually kept the mood light, and knew what to say to put most anyone at ease. It made people like her. It made John like her. It made her seem normal. He needed normal.

Seeing her use her words so sparsely worried him.

Delphi looked at her friend and said, "I'm expecting a call." She then opened the back door and walked to the nearest greenhouse. John followed. From inside, the intense heat made him start to sweat through his old shirt.

She stopped at an old clay pot near the back of the domed greenhouse. A few bell shaped blue and purple flowers grew, nothing John found spectacular. She pushed the container, and John leaned down to help, but she did not need it. Underneath she lifted a small hatch. John could feel the coolness of the earth. She took a step down, and waved him along.

He heard the phone ring as she took the first step. "Be careful." She said as she began to walk quickly and confidently where John wavered. The rings became louder as they walked further. She twisted a light bulb and the bright light illuminated her artillery. She took the call while John toured her pieces.

"Delphi Kane." She answered. John was struck by how she said her name. Her southern accent became thicker the angrier she grew.

John admired her collection. Many of the same pieces he had used in the past.

She did not speak again. He heard the person on the other line talking swiftly in a language John did not recognize at first. He decided it was Korean.

When he heard the phone click on its receiver, he faced her and gestured towards the diploma hanging on the wall. Cornell University. Horticulture.

She shrugged nonchalantly. "They'll let just about anyone in these days."

John then walked to the work space that served as her desk. Three pinky fingers, frozen to a pale purple, sat on the surface. Each wore a thin gold band set with a small pearl, identical to the one currently on Delphi's hand. John raised his eyes to the photo hanging on the wall.

He turned back to her. As kind as he knew, or thought he knew her to be, she looked incredibly dangerous. Her jaw was clenched. She began to pack.

John made to exit. "I'll get my things and board the dog." He gave as a goodbye.

Delphi stopped him. "John," she called in her usual light voice, and he turned back to her. It was as if two beings inside her were dueling. One moment she was the gentle neighbor he had grown to know and care for over the past year, the next she was an enigma. "This may be a trip I don't come back from."

Life had this uncanny ability to pull him back in when he had given up.

Life, or this girl.

"They don't know that you're here. You should go. I can do this." She told him. He looked at her for a moment. Nothing about her would stand out. She wasn't particularly tall or particularly short. She was neither heavy or thin. Her complexion was somewhere in between strikingly pale and natural. Her only outward feature that drew attention was her long red hair. It fell loose around her face now. John took a mental picture of her before the madness began.

"Do what?" He asked her. He said it in a way that made Delphi soften around the edges.

"What I do best." She told him. Then she cocked her head. She grabbed her pistol and ran back the way they came. John followed.

There was a wood on the other side of her property. A man in all black made his way through it. He dialed the number he knew so well it was almost robotic. "They're dead. They're all dead." The man spoke calmly. "Sir," he started, his voice beginning to waver, "Wick-."

The man was cut off. Delphi had put a knife in the back of his head. His phone hit the ground. John crushed it with his foot.

"Dammit!" The man on the other end of the line screamed. He took a moment to recompose himself. He tried to pretend he was not afraid. "She killed them. She's coming." The men stiffened. "And she's got John Wick with her."

His boss looked up from his card game. Smoke filled the small room. "Let them come." His European accent slurring his words. "Does she have the asset?"

"No one knows where it is."

"She will keep it safe. And she thinks the safest place is with her." He said between puffs of smoke. He briefly thought it dangerous to think that he knew anything about this woman. She was the only one of the four he could never predict. Smart, cunning, ruthless, this Kane sister was always the challenge.

"When she gets here, leave her to me." He commanded.

"And Wick?" Troy, the henchman, asked.

"Baba Yaga?" He said. The men around the table looked up in fear. "I have no business with him."


	3. Chapter 3

She drove. The mustang purred across the open road.

It was not the first time John had ridden in this car. The first was when she demonstrated her remarkable skill at drifting. Delphi thought it might impress him, and it did, but John was not the type to pay many compliments. When she had finished her turn, he simply exited the vehicle and walked over to the driver's side, waved her over, and took a seat on the navy blue interior. He started with a 180. Delphi whooped and laughed the entire ride.

Tonight's drive was not at all like that. At first, she was very quiet. They stopped at a gas station. She asked John to stay inside the car, something he knew was so that they remain inconspicuous, but did not particularly appreciate. Delphi filled up, and then went inside to pay. She had been gone for about 10 minutes, causing John to become uneasy. He opened the passenger door and stood, peering into the glass storefront. Delphi was deep in conversation with the cashier, but she caught his eye. John said nothing when she got back in the car.

"You aren't much of a rule follower, are you?"

John did not favor that question with a response. He stared blankly out the windshield.

Delphi smiled as she twisted off the top of a soda and handed it to him. "Couldn't even stay in the car."

"I don't like when people tell me what to do." John said, taking a drink. He drank soda now.

Delphi turned the key and the engine came to life. She put one hand on the shifter, the other elbow propped on the window. "Me neither." She confirmed as she pulled out of the station.

Four hours in, her audio book, "Far from the Madding Crowd," ended and she turned on the radio. It was a high pitched yowl that John couldn't stand. He toggled the channel over to jazz. Delphi hated jazz. She moved it to country. John ended up turning off the radio.

"How do you know those girls?" John led.

"They're my sisters." She said solemnly. The words felt heavy on her tongue. She had not spoken of her family in a long time. But if John was coming along, he had to know the story. Or at least, the parts of it she was willing to tell.

"Were they in too?" He asked.

"Sort of. We all had different skill sets. They were still working when I left."

"Did you get your degree before or after?" John said.

Delphi smiled malignantly, "How do you think I afforded it?" She chuckled."You're awful hung up on that diploma." Delphi giggled again, still tickled from his question. The ghost of a grin appeared on John's face, and it put Delphi at ease, if only for a moment. "Does it surprise you?" She continued.

"You've surprised me a lot recently." He answered, and it was true. She was not as simple as she appeared, but he had known that for a while now.

She laughed. "You knew."

"I suspected." John let her laugh again. It was too sweet of a sound to interrupt. He first suspected when he saw the way her eyes froze at their initial meeting. He suspected her again by the way she was so completely thorough in any task she took on. He suspected her the most when she beat him at darts. No one ever beat John at darts.

Delphi had mentally prepared for John to kill her that night. But she knew that if he was coming for her, she was already dead, so instead of hiding she just spent the night in the greenhouse, prepping for a wedding she was doing that weekend.

She was perplexed when he never showed.

He was perplexed that he didn't show.

"Why are they after you?" He asked slowly.

Her smile disappeared. "Oh they ain't after me. I'm coming for them." She answered.

A few hours later, John woke up. They were parked. She stood near a field, phone up to her ear.

"Is it safe?" She asked, her voice softer than he had ever heard it. She paused a moment. "Thank you."

John had exited the Mustang and was now standing beside her. She felt him looking at her inquisitively.

"You lose something over here, hoss?" She drew, eyebrows arched.

"What is safe?" He queried.

"The only thing I've got left." Delphi tossed him the keys. "You drive. Wake me when we get there."

They entered the Continental approximately 14 hours apart. Delphi first, then John. They had come to the conclusion that he would cause much more of an uproar. They were correct. Hardly anyone noticed the red headed woman.

Hardly anyone excluded Winston, the hotel manager. He had, of course, noticed Delphi's presence. As he had also heard of the business with her sisters.

Winston sat at his usual booth in the lower level of the Continental, pen in hand, eyes roving painstakingly slowly over the ledger. John approached him, a motion that felt more and more natural these days.

Delphi sat at the bar talking to Addy, the friendly bartender. John noticed that her hair was curled and she was wearing a dress, something out of place for her. Still, she did not stand out.

"Who is that?" John asked after he and Winston had exchanged greetings. He flicked his eyes towards her. For a moment he wondered if he was truly asking as a charade, or because he was curious. It unfolded a tiny part of his soul that he had forgotten about. John Wick had not been curious in a long time.

"Delphi Kane." Winston answered. "Her occurrence here is unsettling."

John looked back at Delphi, situated at the bar. There were now at least three other people gathered around her. She spoke and they laughed.

"She seems pretty popular." John muttered.

"And how would you know what that is like?" Winston grinned wryly as he looked over at his friend.

"I watch a lot of TV." John shot back. He took a drink. "Why have I never heard of her?"

"She was notorious for that. One minute she was here, then gone the next. She was well liked but knew how to keep her head down. That's why her relation with the others is so shocking." Winston carried on. "Her sisters are…quite different." He finished.

"I don't see any sisters." John said.

"No one else has for a while. That seems to be the problem." Winston looked up from his book. "I'm sure that's why she is here. Are you trying for the contract?"

John looked at Winston as an answer.

"4 million is a little low for her, no one here will try it, I'd say they placed it just to let her know they're watching her. She's more of a big game item. A lot like someone else I know." Winston looked John in the eye and then went back to counting. "I trust you'll have no problem with her, but a word of warning. Don't let her appearance fool you. She is a savage."

"What makes you say that?" John contested.

"Just recently she sent back some men back piece by piece."

"Whose men?"

"The Aalders brothers." John knew them by their call sign, the Dutchmen. "They worked together once. She was a favorite. Something must've gone awry though. After her last job with them she left everything and everyone behind." This news saddened John. He knew what it was to be lonely. Though the symptoms he displayed were quite different than those of Delphi. She had moved to the dance floor. A man John knew as Tungsten had one hand on the small of her back. They seemed to be chatting and swaying happily.

"Johnathon." Winston beckoned after his friend had stood. "Don't let her seduce you."

John turned up an eyebrow.

Winston proceeded, "She is quite charming. It's that charm that gets people killed."

John left the club, Delphi still on the dance floor.


	4. Chapter 4

They had made plans to rendezvous back at her room a few hours after John had prompted Winston. John had prodded Delphi as to how she would maintain the secrecy of their alliance, and simply answered, "Management owes me a favor." John knew Winston was not the sort of man to grant favors, but in an effort to not seem overbearing, a term Delphi used often, though endearingly, to describe him, he stayed quiet.

And as it turned out, it was true. Delphi had been given a penthouse suite. She was the only guest on the twenty second floor. John simply got off the elevator halfway up and took the staff stairs to remain unseen. A few years ago he would've taken the stairs the whole way, but he had been hit by one too many cars to trust his knees to twenty-two flights.

As he neared her room, he heard a man's voice inside. Though John had done this a million times before, something felt different this time, like there was more on the line. He took a deep breath, and opened the door.

The first thing he noticed was a lavender rose was lying on the bed. John stepped around to hide himself, but to no avail.

An Asian man slipped around the corner and smashed a chair over John's back. It hurt more than he expected. John fell to the floor. The man drew his gun. John kicked his feet out from under him. The man rolled over and found a piece of the chair leg with a nail at the end. He aimed for John's head. He missed, but only barely.

John moved fast, regaining his stance and pulling the man up. John hit him twice in the face but before he could pull a third punch the man racked him with body shots. They pushed away. The man swung just as John opened the microwave door. The man's fist broke through the glass and he cursed in a language John did not recognize at first, and then decided was Korean.

The man recovered quickly and pursued John again, this time with a knife. John flicked his blade out of his pocket. The man laughed once and then advanced. The result of this advancement was John on the floor, breathing heavily, with the man's knife centimeters from his forehead. John pushed back against the man with all he had. Now was about time for a second wind.

Just like a fresh breeze, Delphi walked in the door. Both men looked at her. She looked between them. She shut the door behind her. "And what exactly would be going on here?" She asked incredulously.

That was when both men started to wonder why they had fought in the first place. But it was just kind of what they did. They stayed standing, but eyed each other carefully.

"He is here for the contract." The Asian man started. He stepped closer to Delphi and she did not move. John found that interesting.

"What contract?" She asked. Her eyes trained on John.

"Aalders has one on you." The Asian man answered. John remained taut and ready to act.

"How much?"

"4 million." The man answered. Delphi acted insulted. But it was obvious that this man was known to her, and that she did not feel in danger.

John took a minute to regain himself. He stretched and wiped off his suit. "Who is this?" He asked Delphi. Her eyes flicked over the man and then back to John.

Delphi thought for a moment. "He's trouble." She said as she made her way through the room. At her answer, the man smiled at her in a way that made John's stomach hurt.

 _What are you doing, John?_

 _Looking at you._

John came back to the moment.

"Since when are you working with him?" The man asked.

"He's a friend." Delphi explained.

"Sure, he is a friend, but I am trouble." He scoffed playfully. "Henry Liu." He introduced himself as he shook John's hand with his right and returned John's knife with his left. Henry was of a medium build, broad shouldered, and fast. Nothing about him seemed unsure, from the way he talked to the way he walked. He was surefooted and sound.

Delphi found him attractive. John found him annoying.

"John Wick," John replied. His grip tight, causing Henry's bleeding knuckles to bruise. "I'll meet you at the car," John said to Delphi as he turned away from them.

It wasn't until he was about to shut the door did he see how close Henry had gotten to her. His hand on her arm, the rose in her fingers.

John left.

Henry stayed.

"Where did you find him?" He asked her. Delphi shook off his touch and Henry tried to not be offended.

"He's my neighbor." She answered shortly.

"Why are you angry?"

"My sisters have been kidnapped."

Henry looked at her annoyed. "Why are you angry at me?" He clarified.

"Addy told me you and Aldrich are good friends now that you are working for them." Delphi twirled the lavender rose in her fingertips. Henry was a hopeless romantic. Only a man who knew nothing about flowers would buy a horticulturist a rose.

"You knew that." Henry answered.

Delphi's eyes shot him daggers. "Did you know what he was up to?"

"No." Henry answered honestly.

"Do you promise?"

"Yes, _yobo._ " He said as he took another step closer to her. As though to prove that he was still loyal to her he said, "I drove by your house. Your peonies were a mess," as he tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear.

She laughed, because she knew her peonies were never a mess, and Henry laughed, because he liked making her smile, and for a moment they remembered what is was like to be like this with one another. Happy.

Her face turned serious. "Thank you." She told Henry. "You're one of the only friends I have left."

"Well it seems like John Wick is pretty fond of you."


	5. Chapter 5

Winston had revealed to John that Aalders was going to be at Club 9 the following night. After meeting back at the car, Delphi drove back out of town to a small grocery, and told John to look around while she shopped. John picked Delphi back up 20 minutes later like she had asked. She propped up a bouquet of daisies on her elbow, as she pulled out a bag of sour gummy worms. John gave her a look when she opened the candy.

"What?" She said as she took a bite. "Life is too short to not enjoy candy." Another bite. "Who knows, by this time tomorrow I could be dead." She laughed.

John did not.

"What did Winston say?" Delphi inquired.

"He just told me about the contract and Aalders."

Delphi's jaw clenched at the name, but then relaxed. "4 million is not too bad I guess."

John shrugged his shoulders.

"What's your problem with Aalders?" He said hoarsely.

"I thought that was obvious." Delphi said, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"Why does he have your sisters?"

"I think you're better off not knowing." She told him. John did not like the sound of that. It was evident on his face. "Don't give me that look. I'm sure you've used that line a thousand times," Delphi jeered as she looked out the window.

"No, I haven't. I don't really talk to people." John grumbled.

"Surprise, surprise." Delphi retorted.

They drove in silence for a moment. "I think you're better off without him." John countered.

He could feel her look at him. It did not feel good. "I cannot believe you just said that to me. That was a total dad thing to say." She munched on her worms. Their conversation moved very quickly.

"I am not your dad." John said.

"I am very aware." Delphi cawed.

"That man is dangerous." John warned.

"Also very aware. But if you hadn't guessed, I tend to surround myself with dangerous people." She snorted.

"You're too good for him." John said ever so quietly.

For a moment, Delphi was taken aback. She had never been told she was too good for anything, but then perhaps feeling the need to defend Henry, or maybe just because their conversation was demonstrating how much John truly cared for her, she continued, "You don't even know him! Hell, you barely know me."

"Don't curse at me." John could feel her eyes roll, but it was merely theatrical.

They sat in silence for a while. John felt like she had gone to the grocery furthest away from the Continental. She claimed it was because she knew some people.

"What are the flowers for?" He asked.

"I like flowers." She said, as though that were clear.

Silence again.

Silence had become an old friend of John's. Alone. Quiet. Old. But since meeting Delphi, and especially being in her presence right now, silence felt strange. Delphi, on the other hand, had grown to like John's quiet demeanor. It calmed her. Reminded her of her father. And though she hated herself for it, she was trying to think of ways to convince John that Henry was in fact a good guy. But if she was honest with herself, she didn't know if he was good at all.

"I got the daisies for you. Though manly and rough on the outside, you seem to be basic and feminine on the interior." Delphi smiled simply.

"My wife liked daisies." He said. His voice lighter than expected. He hadn't spoken about Helen in a while.

Delphi did not respond right away. She felt the heaviness of what he had just revealed. "So does my sister, Cleo." She agreed. "They would like you too. Maybe Phoebe a little too much. She's into older men."

John smiled. It was a strange look for him. Like a vulture trying to upturn the edges of his beak. _My wife would've liked you. She always wanted a daughter._ John thought. Then he un-thought it and they started planning for tomorrow night.

Club 9 had three levels. Aalders owned the club, so Delphi making a public entrance was out. It was up to John to keep eyes on Aalders while she made her way through the back. John had never seen her in action, other than the brief stint back at her house. Nevertheless, he was confident in her ability.

So was she.

John tapped twice on her door as Henry answered and let John in. He wore a pale gray suit, white shirt, and thin black suspenders. He slid his jacket on over his shoulder holster. A Lionheart LH9 sat under his armpit.

The stance of the two men indicated that neither were quite fond of the other, but being that they were both in the same room indicated that they were quite fond of the red headed girl who was currently residing there.

Delphi wore, what John supposed, was a normal outfit for a woman attending a club. Her top split up the back revealing a long slender scar that ran the course of her spine. Again, he thought that she looked so out of place.

Henry thought she looked hot.

"You gonna to wear that?" John said gruffly. He did not like speaking in front of Henry.

Delphi, in the middle of tying her long hair up in a ponytail, turned towards John. "Yes. This outfit says, 'Look, I am a normal human trying to have a good time.'" She looked John up and down. He wore an all-black suit with a black shirt and black tie, complete with black shoes. "Your outfit says, 'I am here to kill people.'"

John moved to the window. He could see Henry watching her in the reflection, then quickly slipping out.

"Can you trust him?" John asked after Henry left.

"Do you trust me?" Was her only response.

John did. So he dropped it.

That entire evening Delphi felt as though she should send John away. Considering almost all the people she cared about were disappearing, it felt almost necessary to keep one in her dwindling group of friends safe.

Delphi had never had any trouble making friends. In fact, she was good at it. People liked her. What she was not good at was being vulnerable. It was easy to tell the friends she amassed all about her political opinions, or how she felt about a television show or fashion trend. It became difficult when they asked where she worked, or what she did. Explaining this part of her life was dangerous. It made her vulnerable.

She was not used to being vulnerable. It wasn't that she was not in tune with her feelings, or a more popular response, that she had no feelings. In fact, she did care. And she could show that.

But with John, it was different. They were so similar. So being vulnerable with him meant doing things that demonstrated she cared in a way that only he would understand. He grabbed his gun off the table.

She put her hand over his. "You don't have to do this." She smiled. She was confident that she could, and would find Aalders tonight. John was not a necessity in her plan.

John looked at her in surprise. He did believe that he had to do this.

"You and H-" she cut herself off, maybe now was not the best time to mention Henry, "You are dear to me. It is not worth it to get Aalders and lose you."

 _You're the closest thing I've got to family._ John thought.

He holstered his gun. Delphi sighed.

Delphi left. And John waited.


	6. Chapter 6

John entered the club at precisely 11:43. Considering that Aalders knew John was with Delphi, he had figured that once seeing John, Aalders would begin searching for her.

By that time, she would be at his throat.

John sat down at the bar and ordered a scotch.

Delphi spoke to her friend Phillip. Friend was a term used loosely in this scenario. She asked him to take a smoke break. He did. She entered the back of the club with no delay.

The throbbing beat of the loud music helped John to focus. His eyes grazed over the crowd.

Delphi took down three security guards with her knife. The basement was clear.

Considering John had partaken in a very similar outing just a few years ago, he had Delphi prepare for the worst.

But she didn't need the worst. She was the one of the best.

Five men later and she had cleared the first floor. All of their earpieces were flushed down a toilet. Delphi was a firm believer that at least part of her strength came from her practice of body dragging.

John was a more "where they fall they lie" sort of guy.

They had discussed that she would proceed as stealthily as possible, and once John heard the first gunshot he would know that she had located Aalders. But John found him first. And he was not in his usual box, nor where they had inferred he would move when he heard of Wick's presence. He looked like he was leaving.

John thought a moment, finished his drink, and left the bar.

The Dutchmen's security followed.

John noticed.

He walked into the bathroom.

The men followed.

John was hidden behind the door. One man entered the bathroom, another held the door halfway so that John could neither reach him or see the scene unfolding.

The first walked through the dirty room, checking under stalls. He stopped at one and opened the door. Three bodies tumbled out. "Kane is here! Repeat Kane is here!" The man shouted through his earpiece. John stepped from behind the door. He broke the closest man's neck and threw his knife through the other's right eye.

John stepped back out into the club. People danced and drank innocently. John knew Delphi had to be close.

He looked for Aalders. He had lost sight of him.

John continued his scan for Delphi. He heard a shot. Then three more. He began to run.

Delphi did not believe in wasting bullets. One, headshot. Two, through the heart. She ducked behind a chair. As did the man shooting at her. Three, he shot at her. Four, she ended him.

Aalders was not leaving the club. He was looking for her. Something she knew would happen, but had purposefully forgotten to tell John.

Abraham Aalders was a man of medium build, but tall and broad. He stayed in shape, he handled most of the dirty work. He wore his dirty blonde hair in a fashionable way, and dressed for a man his age. He was not particularly handsome, but he was powerful, which drew women to him like flies to light. He carried no decorations, no jewelry or tattoos. Only a scar through his right eyebrow made him the least bit interesting to look at.

What made Abraham Aalders stand out was his ability to get what he wanted.

And tonight, he wanted Delphi Kane.

John Wick, though a formidable opponent, was not the focus of the Aalders brothers. He made sure his security was briefed on Wick's abilities and then told them to not disturb him with anything to do with Wick. Aalders and Delphi had worked together before, a few times actually, though only with the more recent being mutually requested.

Delphi had just killed four of their men. Abraham took a step into the room. He scanned it for any sign of her.

"Cleo, Phoebe, and Iris say hi." Aalders said, it sounded like a jest. Delphi stood and aimed her gun. She probably would have shot him too, if not for a security guard that threw his knife at her, aiming through her ear.

John was intercepted before locating her. He shot one man on the dance floor. Another two on the stairwell. A fourth stood at the landing. John put one round in the fourth's shoulder, another in the head. He took down three more in close quarter combat. He threw the eighth over the stair railing. Number nine ended up with a broken leg and a bullet in the lung.

Delphi had told herself that to get what she wanted, she would have to take some punches. She had just not expected so many. Abraham knew she was to be killed by hand. More accurately, Abraham's brother wanted to kill her by hand. Aldrich wanted Delphi's death to be slow and painful. He only worried that he did not have the time. If he did not move quickly, she would have it moved.

Abraham knew that drawing her closer to him was the first step. She knew how he fought, just as he knew her style. He watched as she took down his security. Though she had dodged the knife, she had lost her gun in the process.

She held the initially blade thrown at her in her right hand. With a simple flick she launched it at Abraham's forehead.

He dodged the first dagger, but did not expect the second. It slid into his shoulder. She advanced. He caught her arm as she threw a punch, but did not anticipate her kick. Just as she did not anticipate his head butt. He was much stronger than her, she knew that, her best bet was to shoot him. But she needed to get her hands on a gun first.

Abraham did as he was told. He was told to get Delphi Kane. He need to capture her. He could only do that in close quarters.

They persisted. She ended up with split brow and he had a broken rib. Her arms were tired but she continued to use his weight against him. He caught up with her more quickly each time. He took the knife she had thrown and slashed her across the stomach.

John heard Delphi shout.

He moved faster. He reached the room. Aalders had her by the throat. John aimed at Abraham's head. He squeezed the trigger just as he was punched in the kidneys. He turned to see Kloska, an old acquaintance.

The bullet missed, but did distract Aalders enough to let Delphi break from his grip.

Kloska hit John again, knocking his gun out of his hand. John blocked another hit and retaliated with his own.

Delphi was thrown to the ground after striking Aalders in the nose. She landed hard. Her breaths were ragged.

Her fingers slid over cool metal. His gun.

Kloska was much more skilled than John had remembered. The fight ended with John shoving Kloska's own gun into the man's chest.

Delphi had no intention to kill Abraham Aalders. She just needed him out of commission.

She thought a moment.

Then she shot Abraham Aalders five times in the chest for good measure.


	7. Chapter 7

John picked Delphi up from the floor. The people below were screaming and running. It was easy enough for them to slip out of the club relatively unnoticed.

John limped. Delphi bled. They walked into the Continental together this time. They were the only two in the lobby.

The usual hotel manager was off for the night. A lovely woman had taken his place. She recognized Delphi immediately. "Cute top, girl!" She exclaimed.

"Thank you, Margot." Delphi whimpered, trying to not sound as in pain as she was.

"I'm sure those stains will come right out." Margot said. "You know, if you put half a teaspoon of baking soda with a spoonful of vinegar in the wash with it, it should help."

"Really?" Delphi propped her elbow up on the counter. "I'm terrible at laundry."

"Oh yes! It'll get just about anything out."

"Interesting." Delphi smiled.

"I'll send up some bourbon?" Margot asked.

"That would be great," John and Delphi answered together, both surprised, and each convinced they were the one the question had been directed to.

Margot looked between the two of them and smiled.

John had the doctor sent to his room. The tiny man inspected John's wounds and handed him a bottle of pills. They shook hands at the door as John spoke with the doctor about his latest purchase, the latest Porsche Boxster.

Henry stitched Delphi's cut slowly. "Stop moving." He directed.

"I'm breathing, Henry." Delphi clapped back. Henry looked up at her, his dark eyes bore into hers.

"Don't be so dramatic." He deadpanned.

"I am not dramatic." Delphi upheld.

"I heard you shot Abraham Aalders five times." Delphi took as drink as her reply. She agreed that might have been a bit dramatic.

"You can't come here anymore." She said. And though Henry didn't like it. He agreed.

"I'm expecting a call from Aldrich." He told her, focusing on her last few stitches. "Finished." He applauded himself as slid off his rubber gloves. She had pulled her shirt up just enough to reveal the cut along with four or so inches of her pale skin. There was the wispy shape of a burn near her belly button.

In a rare act of affection, Delphi pulled herself closer to Henry, his arm braced on the other side of her hip, and let her finger trace his jawline. His breath hit her cheeks and she felt herself blush. He had a way of doing that to her.

This was, of course, a prime time for John to enter.

He had forgotten to knock.

Henry looked at John defiantly and didn't move, but Delphi did. It was a melodramatic motion that involved her hands in the air and a noise that conveyed annoyance.

John was, as usual, awkward.

"Should I go?" He said after he had been staring for a few seconds.

"Nope. The moment is gone." She said. Henry looked back at her and smiled. Again, it was a smile that made John's stomach hurt.

She put her hand on Henry's arm as he moved and she stood. John tossed her some pills. "These should help with mobility." She caught them in her left hand as she took a pull of bourbon with her right.

"Are we headed home tonight?" John asked. The word home felt funny leaving his lips but he enjoyed the affect it had on Henry. He snapped his head towards John quickly.

"You are." Delphi said, causing Henry to snap his head back to her. He would get whiplash at this rate.

John and Henry spoke at the same time. "I am?" and "He is?" they exclaimed. John's brow knitted in concern. So did Henry's.

"Yes. I can do the rest myself." She spoke nonchalantly. Henry's eyes stayed trained on her, obviously not fond of this decision. It wasn't that he didn't trust her. It was that he didn't trust himself. He didn't know if he could carry out the task she had asked of him. Though Henry was not a huge fan of John Wick, he was an ally in this war. His affection for Delphi was unmistakable, and it comforted Henry to know that someone else was on her side.

"Why does he get to stay?" John asked, realizing how childish he sounded but not caring.

Delphi relished this humanizing moment. She had a theory that underneath the whole boogeyman persona, John Wick was just a man.

"He's not staying either." She nudged Henry's shoulder, the kindest way she could think of telling him to leave without having to say it aloud. Usually, Henry would contest this dismissal, but under these circumstances he decided to check his pride and make an exit. He knew she wanted him to go, but was surprised that she followed him to the door. Wick stood in the middle of the room, feet planted like he was ready to argue.

Delphi brushed her knuckles against Henry's. "It has to look real." She reminded him.

"It will be real," he murmured as he took her chin between his forefinger and thumb. John looked away. Henry tried to convey everything he felt in a look; sorrow, adoration, and tenderness. Then, in an ultra-masculine way, he straightened his shoulders and slid out the door.

"What was that about?" John wondered.

"I've got some loose ends I need to tie up and then I'll be home." She said, dismissing his second question and moving on to why John would be returning home without her.

John had the notion that Delphi was a top notch arguer. That notion had been tested time and time again throughout their brief, but substantial friendship. Like when she insisted they watch Star Wars in production order not in chronological, but John wanted to watch them in line with the story. John felt like she had prepared that argument weeks before he even suggested they watch the first film.

John took a seat at the small table located in the middle of the room. This was symbolic of his decision to stay, regardless of what she said.

"John," she stated, most forebodingly, "this is a decision that you will regret."

But this time John didn't get the chance to reply. The hotel suite exploded with fire and smoke.

Aldrich Aalders stood on a neighboring rooftop, with a bazooka resting on his shoulder. He couldn't see into the penthouse suite, it was built fortress style with no windows, but he had a tip from an insider that Delphi Kane would be there.


	8. Chapter 8

John awoke in a warehouse. He had been bound and tied, his hands met behind his back, a chair propping him up. Aldrich Aalders stood in front of him.

Unlike his brother, Aldrich was an impressive man to look at. Handsome, well dressed, and articulate, he was known and respected.

He had not prompted this fight with Wick, and he hoped to end it here.

"John Wick," the Dutch man started, "the legend himself."

John did not appreciate the flattery.

"Where is the girl?" John uttered huskily.

"That thing is not a girl." Aldrich barked. "She is a demon. I trusted her, and she betrayed me." John was struck with the hatred Delphi seemed to elicit from Aldrich.

"Where is she?" John repeated.

Aldrich had a laugh that made men's hair stand up on edge. "Why are you so taken with her? Trust me, _broer_ , if you had seen the others, this one would not be as important to you. It is a shame that you came back to help her. It has done you no good." Aldrich paused and looked as though he were in deep thought. " _Vaarwel,_ Mr. Wick." He said quietly.

"If you so much as touch her, I will kill you." John said, starting softly but voice rising to a yell.

"Then I suppose I am already dead, _broer._ " Aldrich laughed as he looked towards his men standing at the side. Aalders exited, and the men walked towards John. He waited, and then when they were close enough, he acted.

It happened fairly quickly.

John's hands were still behind him, but the chair, and the two men sent to kill him, were all broken on the floor. John breathed heavily and coughed blood. He searched the men for a knife.

Henry stood in the doorway. Quiet and watching. He tossed John his knife. The very one he had almost stabbed him with just a day earlier.

John was not surprised to see Henry. Just like Henry was unsurprised John had escaped.

Once loose, John strode towards Henry. Henry looked John up and down. _The man could take a beating_ , Henry thought. Then he remembered why he was here. More like it flashed to the front of his brain again, because it was hard to un-see her like that.

"They've got her at 270 Williams. I need you on the roof of the building across the street. A rifle is waiting. You're on contingency." Henry told him.

"Contingency?" John asked. He did not like the sound of that.

"He gave the order to shoot her sisters this morning." Henry said, as his shoulders slumped, obviously upset.

"Did you know?" John asked as he took a step closer to Henry. His brain was a reel of possible scenarios.

"No. That was never part of the plan. He may try to kill her too." Henry looked right in John's eyes. Henry's were a mix of desperation and anger. John's were full of determination. "I need you to make sure that does not happen."

John walked by Henry and out of the warehouse as a response.

Delphi's hands were tied behind her back, and she was on her knees. She had never been very comfortable in that position. Three men stood on either side of her. They looked like copies of one another, each in a black suit, hands crossed over their stomachs. She recognized a few from when she used to work here.

Delphi's face hurt. Her ribs hurt. It pretty much all hurt. Her hair fell wildly in her face.

She was not afraid. The way she figured it, she was faced with two choices. One, escape. Or two, be killed. She had made her peace with death a long time ago. And now, he was her neighbor.

John laid on his stomach on the rooftop where Henry had directed him. The rifle was there. John peered through the scope to catch a glimpse of her. He had found that, after seeing her in action, she struck him as more of a wolf trying to be a girl than the other way around. It did nothing to change how highly he thought of her, but it did quite affect how he imagined her before they met.

Finally, she was in his sights. Her shirt was torn and bloody, much like her face. John's grip on the gun tightened.

Aldrich strode into the room, Henry by his side.

Delphi made herself not look at him. She needed to focus on Aldrich.

Henry did make himself look at her. If not, she had told him, Aldrich would know. Guilt flowed over him.

Aldrich walked over to her and pulled her up by the hair. Delphi found this dramatic. Both John and Henry, in a strange form of solidarity that neither were aware of, found it infuriating.

"At one point, I would have called you my right hand, do you know that? I would have trusted you with anything." Aldrich looked down at Delphi remorsefully. "Strange, _zus,_ how things have changed." Aldrich drew back his fist and hit her square on. Henry flinched. John put his finger on the trigger.

Delphi looked up at Aldrich with bold, challenging eyes.

"You never did scare easy. Not like Phoebe. She jumped at anything." Delphi struggled to stand at the name of her sister. Aldrich struck her down. Her head hit the concrete floor. Henry closed his eyes.

Aldrich crouched down beside her. He used the end of his gun and traced her collarbones, moving lower down her shirt.

Henry started. Then stopped. He breathed heavily.

John struggled to see. Aldrich was blocking her.

"Where is the boy?" Aldrich whispered into Delphi's ear sinisterly. His voice was just low enough for them both to hear. She spat on his face.

Delphi's hands were very close to being untied. Her theatrical fall had given her the proper coverage. And now Aldrich was so close. All she needed was a gun, and if she couldn't find one, her hands would have to do.

But instead of reacting the way she expected, by lashing out and grabbing her, the one thing she needed him to do, he touched her face gently instead. "I will find him with or without you." Aldrich spoke calmly. He gave her a chance to respond as he wiped his face. Delphi's fingers worked quickly to untie herself.

"I had planned to kill you myself, _zus_ , but I cannot bring myself to do it." He laid her head back down, and stood.

"Shoot her." He said to one of his men. The rest made to file out behind him. "No, stay. She is a clever one." Aldrich commanded.

He put his hand on Henry's shoulder as he left. "Make sure it is done." Henry fought the urge to tear off his arm.

"Boontje komt om zijn loontje, broer." Delphi said, hoping to lure him back to her. _You'll get what you deserve, brother._

It did not work. Aldrich paced out of the room.

John seized the moment. He squeezed the trigger.

Henry exclaimed and fell to the ground.

"Oh shit! The boss!" One of the henchmen cried. Delphi almost rolled her eyes in annoyance. She broke free of her restraints and immediately set to the task at hand. John tried to follow her in the scope but she moved quickly.

Using just her hands, she beat the first two. Using the second man's gun she put a bullet in both, and then turned to the remaining four. She used the remaining three bullets on them, and then the magazine clicked.

"Where is John Wick?" She asked the only man standing. He did not answer. She asked again, her voice apocalyptic. When he failed to answer a second time, she threw the empty gun at his face, and used his distractedness to break his neck.

Then she moved towards Henry.

He laid on the floor, blood pooling by his head. Delphi's heart began to race. She knew what she had to do, but it hurt so badly. Delphi had no clue who was or was not working for Aalders. He had always made it a point to have eyes all around. She could not risk letting anyone know that she and Henry were in this together.

She only looked at him, crumpled grey suit on the floor, and then continued out the door.

John moved to meet her.

Henry, realizing he was alone, raised up on his elbows. He touched the top of his ear, and looked at his fingers, red with blood. _Slick_ , he thought, _very slick._

Delphi walked out of the building, and willed her body to heal as quickly as possible. The bright sunlight hit her face and for a moment she thought she might cry. It had been a long time since she had cried. But she thought that for just for a moment, because as she was debating, John Wick began to walk towards her.

Delphi was sure as hell not going to cry in front of John Wick.

She placed her hand on his elbow, perhaps one of the only times they had any sort of physical contact. The action conveyed a variety of emotions, and John understood them all.

"You didn't kill him, right?" She made sure.

"No." John said. Trying to appear only slightly pleased with his actions.

"Good." Delphi looked physically relieved. "Let's go. I think I know where he's got them."


	9. Chapter 9

Winston looked at the number on his cell phone screen. He picked up the device and answered without a greeting.

He listened to the muffled voice on the other end patiently, and when they were finished, he threw the phone across the room.

 _How hard could this have been?_ He had given them everything they needed to succeed. _What else could he have done?_ He had been patient. He had been watchful.

He had only one more card to play. It was a risky one.

This is what Winston should have told his friend John Wick when he sat down and asked about Delphi Kane.

There were four Kane sisters. Phoebe, the oldest, ten years older than Delphi, then there was Cleo and Iris. Each of the girls, other than Delphi, was visibly striking. Phoebe was the modern day Jane Bennett, the lovely older sister sought after by all men. Cleo was vibrant and spirited, her dark hair and eyes making her seem mysterious. Iris was a sweet and delicate beauty, evoking memories of old Hollywood starlets.

Both beautiful and intelligent, none of the three of them struggled to get out of the small Eastern Kentucky town they were born in.

Neither did Delphi, but where her sisters were handicapped by beauty, she was not. She learned that the world was different for girls like her.

Men adored her sisters. So very soon, Phoebe had become the arm candy to an elderly billionaire, quietly pulling some strings from behind, Cleo had earned her place as a professional Judoka and was practicing security, and Iris served as an accountant for two very rich men.

Those men were Abraham and Aldrich Aalders.

Delphi, though she did not have the beauty her sisters did, was cunning and creative in a way they were not. She was rough around the edges. Her skin littered with freckles, her bones too big to be feminine, her eyes wild and untamed. Where her sisters had beauty to gain them friends, Delphi had to use her personality, and in turn, that personality came to serve her well.

During this time, Delphi did what she did best. Between balancing her schoolwork and the ends she had to go through to afford her schoolwork, she had become a force to be reckoned with. Known for her discreteness and accuracy she began to rise within this world.

The four sisters, all very close to one another, used their own personal skill sets to help the others advance.

They had schemed together to align on one job. Iris, very aware of the kind of men the Aalders brothers were, had wished to leave their company for some time. She had overheard them plotting, and suggested her sisters' services.

They could not have predicted that one of them would fall in love.

Phoebe Kane had thought she loved Aldrich Aalders from the moment she saw him. She left the wealthy man who had treated her so well and ran into Aalders' arms, dismissing the warnings from her sisters. They pulled off the job, making the Dutchmen very, very rich. As per the contract, the Kane sisters were then released. Iris, Cleo, and Delphi pursued other business ventures. Phoebe did not.

It was not until she was three months pregnant did she begin to see the darker side of Aldrich. She feared not only for her life, but for the life of their unborn child.

Again, the sisters schemed.

And together, they faked Phoebe's death. A deadly reaction to the bees she was so allergic to had ended her. It was not difficult to find a doctor who would help. Delphi had the contacts.

Aldrich buried an empty casket and never knew of the child. The sisters, stricken with grief that their Phoebe had been taken from them so soon, left this world in the pursuit of a regular life.

But eventually, Cleo and Iris came back. It was all they knew. It was what had made them what they were.

Not Delphi. She had come to Winston as a confidant, trusting him with this heavy secret, and asked him what she should do. Winston saw this as an opportunity to rid himself of a debt without having to pay it.

Winston suggested that she move to a remote location in a nearby state. Approximately 3 miles from John Wick.

Winston knew that sooner or later, the two would meet, and that John would end her, thus ending Winston's troubles.

But instead of killing her, Jonathan had befriended her.

And now, Winston found himself having to make a very difficult decision. He picked up the phone he had thrown. He dialed a number.

"You have a Judas in your company." Winston told Aldrich Aalders. "Henry Liu is working with Kane." He said.

"Thank you, _broer._ " Aldrich said before ending the call.


	10. Chapter 10

Delphi had liked Henry well enough when they had first met. He was fairly serious, but had a great sense of humor, or he laughed at her jokes and she found herself pretty funny. And was a dapper dresser.

Henry had liked Delphi well enough when they had first met. She was pleasant, engaging, and funny. Funnier than he had expected anyone in this business to be.

They both had just one foot in the door, trying to find some sort of stability in this strange business. Neither of them had heard of the other, and when Delphi asked for his name at the end of the night, "Henry Liu," rolled off his tongue like an amateur.

Delphi smiled and left without mentioning hers. A trick of the trade. But it didn't take Henry too long to figure it out.

The next time they bumped into each other they were both a bit more prominent. Their names were much more common than they had been. They were working different circuits, Henry was more into private security, but they occasionally heard of the other.

Henry had been contracted for the safety insurance of a foreign dignitary whilst at a gala. There were a lot of important people there. He sat at a table across from his client's. Henry watched carefully as people passed by him. His eyes flicking towards the entrances, exits, and then back to the dignitary every few seconds.

He had almost missed her walk in. Three years later, and she looked just about the same. Delphi wore a black jumpsuit, with a high neck and no back. A thin scar made its way up her spine. Her hair fell in big curls, and crystals shaped like teardrops hung from her ears.

Henry glanced around to see who else had noticed her.

No one had.

Henry briefly wondered if it was a good or bad thing that it was only he who had been drawn to her.

He was still wondering that.

Henry had wanted to kill Aldrich Aalders for quite some time. The scene that had played out only hours earlier, involving the beating of someone he cherished, also did nothing to abet Henry's desire to crush his employer's throat with his own hands.

Both Henry and Delphi were not under the impression that Aldrich would not find out about them. They had just hoped to keep their affiliation a secret as long as possible.

Aldrich was not surprised that his head guard had been bewitched by a Kane sister. It happened to the best of them. Though not surprised, he was angry. But that would have to wait. He was sitting in the passenger seat of a Cadillac Escalade when he received Winston's call, and he calmly asked his driver to turn around. If Henry had been in on it the whole time, Aldrich severely doubted that Delphi or John Wick were actually dead.

Delphi knew that there was not a creative bone in Aldrich's body, he even had his security team wear security guard uniforms like a bunch of dopes. And thus, she also knew he would keep her sisters in the very place that she used to bring people to him. Delphi was struck with nostalgia as she walked through the backdoor of the restaurant Aldrich owned.

Delphi was past the point of telling John he could go. Mostly because she knew he would never listen to her, but also, maybe just a bit, because she felt better with him by her side.

John walked through the restaurant with his gun drawn, weak shoulder out, a fighting style he had learned a long time ago. Delphi led and motioned for John when the coast was clear. They would never reach the vault if Aalders' men were alerted to their presence this early in the game.

Aldrich relied on an honest and loyal staff to keep his operation afloat. That was why when Delphi, Cleo, and Iris left he had been a little hurt. It was Phoebe who comforted him and explained that her sisters, due to their strange past and unconventional upbringing, could not stand to be tied down.

Up until recently, Aldrich had remembered his closeness with Delphi fondly. When he thought of her, his brain always called up a memory of her washing her hands.

Cut and bruised, he knew that the hot water would make them sting, but she let her hands sit under the stream anyways. A long minute passed, and Aldrich cleared his throat to get her attention. "Sorry," she apologized hastily, moving to dry her swollen knuckles. "We didn't have running hot water at our house growing up." She explained as she walked past him.

Aldrich learned then that he would never really understand those women.

His driver had not been moving fast enough for him. So, Aldrich had shot him and taken his place in the driver's seat.

After Delphi had led them through the kitchen and down the stairs, she took out the blade John had given her. He understood what that meant and holstered his gun. His hands moved quickly against the guards. Delphi muffled their screams with one hand as she stabbed them with her other. They made a quick business about it. Together, they went through 30 men. John's kill count was much higher with a partner.

Troy, ever faithful to Aldrich, but very afraid of John Wick, realized that their only hope was to separate them. He sent his five best men after Wick, and decided to handle Delphi himself.

John told her to move on as the men closed in around him. With so many around him knew that he may have no choice but to shoot. These men were more skilled than the rest. They gave him much harder time.

He held off as long as he could, but eventually his shots acted as a warning to her, and she began to run.

Troy stepped out of the aisle way in front of her. She started her assault with a kick to his chest. John shot the first man, but then his gun was knocked out of his hand. Delphi pummeled Troy with punches. John snapped a second man's arm. Troy hit Delphi in the abdomen, busting her stitches and causing her to scream in pain. John heard and began to move faster, newly motivated.

Troy took Delphi's moment of pain to slam her to the floor. He moved behind her and wrapped one arm around her neck, and braced himself with the other. Delphi moved quickly to release herself. She would not last long under his grip. She leaned down and crouched, and wrapped her arms around his knees, drawing him to the ground.

John swung his forearm out, much like a hook, and connected it to the third man's throat, immediately knocking him to the floor. The fourth man created distance between them. He was a kicker. John hated kickers.

Delphi moved to sit on Troy's chest, hoping her weight would give her some leverage. He threw her off easily. They both rose. Delphi moved in for a head kick.

The man also moved in with a head kick, John blocked with his shoulder, hand, and other palm, and then moved in with body shots.

Troy did not block, the top of her foot connected with his jaw. Delphi had learned this kick while training with Abraham. How fitting she used it now. While discombobulated, she began to hit him again and again in the head with her fists.

The fifth man drew a wide stance. He stuck out his jaw. John's fist collided with it.

Delphi seized her opportunity. She knocked Troy to the ground and used her knee on his throat, choking him. He had landed precisely where she wanted him to. She picked up the gun she had knocked out of his hand. She placed one bullet through his ear.

Delphi knew she was close. She thought about waiting for John, but decided to continue on without him. He would find his way easily enough.

John began walking the way Delphi had run.


	11. Chapter 11

"You're my replacement?" Delphi asked when she finally came up to the vault. The woman standing opposite her, guarding the room she wished to enter, was called Maria. Maria had never been quite keen about Delphi. It might have had something to do with the jagged scar that ran from her ear to her chin.

Maria nodded, her hatred of Delphi evident.

Delphi had never been very impressed with Maria. She was a sloppy fighter, and had little to no personality. She was notorious for a one hit knock out, but it was her only party trick.

"What a disappointment." Delphi said as she charged her.

Maria was not much a challenge for Delphi. In fact, she was one of the quickest take downs Delphi had all night. Delphi had her knife up into Maria's ribs. Maria's back was against the wall. Delphi's hand braced Maria's so as to not let her escape.

Maria would not try to escape. She had seen Delphi Kane in action. She knew she was better off to stay here.

"Where are my sisters?" Delphi asked Maria playfully, like a cat talking to a mouse.

Maria looked at Delphi curiously. Then an evil grin covered the woman's face.

"Your sisters are dead." She told Delphi. In response, Delphi shoved the knife further up Maria's ribcage. Maria coughed blood.

John had just caught up. He stood in the doorway. Both women noticed his presence but neither acknowledged it.

When John's wife died, he felt as though he had no one left in the world. It was a lingering weight, something that he endured daily. It still hung on his shoulders, but the heaviness had lightened since he had met Delphi.

He did not wish for her to know that pain. He knew it was coming, but there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"Aldrich ordered it." Maria continued, the smirk still on her beaten face.

Delphi had been confident that her sisters were very much alive. Pinky-less perhaps, but still alive. Delphi did not know if she could believe Maria or not. As a way to buy time, she quickly withdrew the knife from Maria's abdomen and used it to secure the woman's hand to the wall behind her. Maria howled. Delphi arranged Maria's other hand, and then looked at John. He handed her his knife.

Delphi stepped back to admire her work. The smile was beginning to wane from Maria's face.

"If they were already dead, then why would you be guarding this door?" Delphi wondered aloud.

"Look for yourself, _punta_." Maria spat.

John watched as Delphi seemed to become someone else entirely.

She had done this often when she was younger, in a second she went from feral beast to frightened child.

So much of who Delphi was relied on controlling the only thing she could, herself.

Delphi was raised to believe that she was never alone so long as she had her sisters. Phoebe, ten years her senior, had taught Delphi understand the power of being underestimated. Phoebe's blonde hair, blue eyes, tan skin, and body of a goddess, had enticed men. They treated her like a thing and she let them, up until the moment she needed something they had. Cleo, four years younger than Delphi, had always been a spitfire. Dark and sarcastic, wild and ornery, Cleo was genuine, and so very alive. Iris, smart and eager, was Delphi's youngest sister. Iris was beautiful in a timeless way, and had the self-confidence to succeed no matter the venture.

Delphi was not beautiful. She knew that. Her sisters knew that. And in a way that only sisters could, they comforted her. But Delphi had always been the one to pull through for them. Phoebe, though the eldest, was not the most responsible. The older she grew the more selfish she became. She thought that after years of caring for her sisters, she had deserved to care only for herself.

That all changed after she had become a mother.

Egan Kane had an interesting childhood, his first months were with his mother and aunts. They lived together, until one day, his aunts left and Charlie moved in.

Charlie, the man he knew as his father, was kind and demure, and loved the boy like his own. He loved Phoebe too, and understood her better than she understood herself.

As agreed upon, Delphi had not seen the boy in months. She imagined he'd be walking by now.

She would not know how to tell him if his mother was dead because of her. She had never thought she would have to.

Delphi twisted the dial quickly. She had been with Aldrich when he has purchased the vault. She was not surprised that he had not changed the code.

She opened the door quickly. John could not see in, but he did not have to see to know what was there.

Maria began to laugh.

Delphi shot her in the head, but her eyes never left the vault.


	12. Chapter 12

Henry liked to think he was the one who kissed Delphi first, but it was actually the other way around. His hand had found its way to her cheek, completely of its own accord, his fingers skimmed behind her ear. He felt a scar. He traced a small x.

"An x marks the spot." she had laughed, pulling him closer and pressing her mouth against his.

He let that memory play over and over again in his mind as he stood, waiting for Aldrich. At least seven men lay dead at Henry's feet. They were the remaining security that John and Delphi had not met.

Aldrich was starting to realize that his plan was failing. He was also beginning to feel played. After he killed Delphi and Wick, Winston was next on his list.

Delphi did not quite know what to do with the scene in front of her. Preparing herself for the worst, she had expected to see her sisters, lifeless, lying on the cool concrete floor. Instead, there were three dead and mostly naked guards.

Delphi had shot Maria so she could think.

John made his way over to comfort his friend.

Upon looking in the vault, he was just as dumbfounded as she was.

Henry possessed a greater ability to kill than Aldrich Aalders, in fact, Henry couldn't remember ever seeing Aldrich kill anyone. He always had someone else do the dirty work for him.

Aldrich Aalders was just very, very angry. He wallowed in his anger as he parked his SUV and walked into the restaurant. He only grew more livid as he walked past the bodies of his help.

Delphi looked at John, and then back to the undressed men. A savage smile played on Delphi's face.

Henry cursed as three more guards walked towards him. He could have sworn he had finished the last of them off. Then Aldrich walked in. When it rains, it pours.

Delphi and John made their way back the way they had come.

Iris, Phoebe, and Cleo had dispatched the three men sent to kill them easily. They had known that Aldrich would not have the nerve to finish the deed himself, so when the men entered, the women pounced. They shot three times, for effect, then dressed themselves in the guards' uniforms and walked out very simply. Luckily, Maria had not been sent to stand sentry at the vault until after Aldrich had received the phone call from Winston.

John was beginning to suspect that he was just looking at the tip of the iceberg concerning the Kane sisters.

Henry was momentarily struck by how each of the three guards advancing towards him had their right hands bandaged. He understood just as Aldrich drew his gun and aimed at Henry's head.

Aldrich took a deep breath. It had been years since he had killed a man himself, and he was about to shoot the second in less than an hour. His mind flashed back to memories of him as a boy, hunting with his father. This memory only angered him more, reminding him of a son who had been stolen from him.

It was Delphi who shot first. She put a slug in Aldrich's shoulder. He had not even seen her enter the room. He cursed in Dutch.

Then Cleo shot, putting a round in his thigh, causing him to drop to the floor.

Iris acted next, her bullet entering his abdomen, causing him to cry out in pain.

Henry advanced and shot through Aldrich's other leg, leaving him on his knees.

They all turned to look at John, who shrugged his shoulders as he fired and created a hole in Aalders' palm.

John decided then that he enjoyed this sort of group work.

Phoebe made her way towards the father of her child. Her hips swayed as she walked, and she caressed Aldrich's face when she drew near to him.

Cleo had moved behind Aalders to restrain him; John was impressed with her strength.

Phoebe squatted so that she and the man were eye to eye.

Abraham Aalders was resting in bed at his apartment in Amsterdam. When he had received Delphi's package only a few days earlier, he had eyed the protective vest warily, she knew that he believed they only limited his movement. Now feeling the bruises, he was grateful he had worn them that night.

Phoebe asked Aldrich only one question. "How did you find out about him?"

"Egan?" Aldrich whispered. The women seemed to flinch when he said the child's name. It was sacred. Aldrich was breathing raggedly, but had enough in him to continue to answer. "Your old friend Winston told me about him."

John was shaken by the mention of Winston's name. He looked at Delphi, expecting to see his shock mirrored on her face. Instead, her jaw was clenched in rage. John thought back to his chat with Winston at the bar. _It's that charm that gets people killed._

Though it hadn't been Delphi who had charmed Winston. That fell to Phoebe.

She had been the one to seduce the wealthy billionaire. She had kept his identity secret from her sisters, no easy task, but it was through Winston that she could keep an eye on all of them at once, and play the game for herself.

Phoebe knew that Winston would never forgive her. She just did not know that Delphi would trust him. Not until it was too late.

Phoebe huffed at Aldrich's reply.

He continued. "You should kill me. You've taken everything from me. My heart. My son. My brother. Why stop now?"

Abraham had moved to his kitchen where he was frying himself some eggs. He sipped on his coffee as he looked at the one photo hanging on his fridge. Luckily, his nephew favored Phoebe more than Aldrich.

The Kane sisters all laughed at his response.

 _Ruthless,_ thought John.

"You're right. Why stop now?" Phoebe finished as her bullet torpedoed through Aldrich's brain.


	13. Chapter 13

Abraham's phone buzzed with a text just as he had taken the last bite of his breakfast. He stood and took in the view of this beautiful city, and breathed in a breath of new life.

The Kane sisters had decided that they needed to develop a plan in case Aldrich found out about the boy long before Delphi had moved to the farm. Meticulously, the sisters had plotted. It was Delphi who sowed the discord between Aldrich and Abraham, though it did not take much prodding on her part. Abraham, like Delphi, had always been underestimated, especially by his brother who only believed him to a brute, and not a brain. All Delphi had to do was prove Aldrich's thinking to his loyal brother, and Abraham was soon on their side. She knew that when she called on him, Abraham would act in her favor.

Cleo had suggested that they be taken hostage. She even went so far as to say that they "had" to be killed, so that they could start fresh afterwards. It was a splendid idea, they agreed. A fresh start would be good for them all. It would give them the chance to be something other than the notorious Kane sisters.

Iris maintained that Delphi was to be the one worked from the outside. No one would actually believe that she was ever taken. Delphi's ego was pleased with that line of thinking.

Henry had always been a part of the scheme. They had all sort of expected that he would leave with Delphi, and when he didn't it came as quite the shock to them all. Henry, of course, regretted telling her no from the moment the word left his lips. Delphi left his apartment sad and alone. She moved to her farm and planned to live there, sad and alone. Then a dog showed up in her flower garden.

Winston had been Delphi's lynch pin. She had considered her options many, many times, but unless Winston was involved, there was no way to give her sisters the clean slate they wanted. She was counting on him. And he had let her down.

There had been no room in the plan for John, though he somehow fit.

"Finished." Was all the text read.

Abraham immediately began making phone calls.


	14. Chapter 14

John, Delphi, Henry, Phoebe, Cleo, and Iris all walked out the restaurant, there was virtually no one left to stop them. Abraham had called the sorry group some cars. They were parked on the street corner inconspicuously.

The pain of the past 48 hours was beginning to catch up to Delphi and John, though mostly to John. He limped his way to the car parked in front. He leaned against the fender and waited for his friend.

Phoebe, Cleo, and Iris kept him company while he waited.

He quickly realized that Delphi was not the most talkative among her siblings. John thought that they asked him at least 30 questions within the first minute alone, including, "Is that your real hair or did you get plugs?"

Henry stayed behind to help Delphi out to the cars, but she insisted on walking alone. "Pretty clever, Kane. Pretty clever." Henry said as they stepped in sync.

"You think?" Delphi replied, the pink hue of the sunset settling on her cheeks.

"Don't get cocky on me." He said and she laughed happily. It was a sound that made Henry's heart pound.

Delphi stopped as they neared the cars and her sisters, crowding around John. She smiled as John tried to process them. She turned back to Henry. He was staring at her. "What are you doing, Henry?"

"I'm looking at you." He said softly.

Winston received the news of the Kane's sisters demise that earlier that day. He had yet to decide how he would celebrate. Though he did wonder about his friend John Wick. He highly doubted that Aalders had killed him.

Winston briefly pondered if anything could kill John Wick.

It had been Phoebe who suggested a back door to this secret place, so that she could come and go as she pleased.

Winston had loved Phoebe Kane. She was beautiful. But more than that, she cunning and keen. And mysterious. He had fallen for her quite easily. And he believed that he had enough, of well anything she could ever want, to keep her entertained and by his side.

He had been very wrong.

Phoebe pretended to be so uninterested in Winston's business. Little did he know that she was using him to keep up with the others. Winston had no clue that Phoebe had any sisters, let alone that they were the Kane sisters.

Delphi had sent Henry home with her sisters. They were to meet back at her farm with Egan in two days. Phoebe made sure to whisper the location of the secret door in Delphi's ear before leaving. She had tried to send John with them, but both he and Henry had insisted that one of them should stay with her, and they all three knew that John wasn't going to be able to assimilate to Cleo, Iris, and Phoebe during a car ride.

She asked John to go get the Mustang, because she was likely to be considered dead and couldn't appear very alive at the Continental without raising questions.

But John knew what she was up to.

Delphi felt so foolish for trusting Winston. She blamed her father. She had loved him so much, she looked for him in everyone. She found him in John. She had thought she recognized him in Winston. She had also been so wrong.

Delphi slipped through the back door of Winston's office easily. She held a bottle of bourbon in her hands. It was her usual gift to him. They used to have many chats at the bar in the Continental.

When Winston saw her, he became a little afraid.

Delphi put the bottle on his desk and then sat across from him. She willed her hands to stay still. They shook with anger.

"Surprised to see me?" Delphi asked as she crossed her legs.

Winston eyed the red head. He had plotted. He had schemed. He had bided his time. Yet, here she was.

Aldrich had been right. She was not a girl. She was a demon.

"Not at all, dear." Winston said as he opened the bottle and poured two glasses. "I trust you've settled your business here, and that I can just put the renovation of my pent house on your tab."

Delphi was not at all taken aback with Winston's arrogance. Phoebe had warned her of that. Winston's mind was racing with how exactly she was alive.

"You know, my sister never loved you." Delphi started with a sucker punch.

Winston took a swig of bourbon, but it did not make Delphi's words any easier to swallow.

"Love is a difficult concept for girls like us to grasp," Delphi swirled her bourbon as she continued, "much like forgiveness." Winston took another drink, and swallowed any hopes of reconciliation. "You had me buy that farm because you thought John Wick would kill me." She stated firmly.

"And instead he bloody made friends with you. Jonathon couldn't make a friend to save his life and yet somehow you've got him following you around like a puppy. But he won't let you kill me." Winston said. He knew his friendship with John Wick would pay off some day.

"No one 'lets' me do anything." Delphi sneered.

"Perhaps not, but you're smarter than that."

"Don't tell me how smart I am." Delphi snapped. And at that moment, Winston became very afraid.

"Unfortunately, you are worth more to me alive." Delphi continued. Winston found that hard to believe but was not in a place to question his luck.

Delphi quite enjoyed seeing the fear grow in Winston's eyes. She had thought and thought of ways to get revenge on this man. She figured the worst thing she could do would be nothing at all. The fear itself would kill Winston. A coward's death was all he deserved.

"I won't forget this." Delphi said as she stood. The hostility in her voice was recognizable.

"Neither will I." John growled as he emerged from a dark corner.

Winston was paralyzed in fear. He eyed John carefully. For once, the old man was at a loss for words.


	15. Chapter 15

_**3 years later**_

The next time the Kane sisters saw Abraham Aalders, it was at a funeral. The Aalders business had grown more successful under this brother's rule. In fact, he was about to earn a spot at The Table, and guarantee John, Henry, and the Kane sisters' safety forever.

Though as far as the world knew, the Kane sisters were dead.

The four sisters now all resided in the sleepy farm town where John and Delphi had met. They went by Mallory now, the name John had first called Delphi.

They had all gathered to celebrate the life of a horrid man.

Winston had died of a heart attack.

It didn't rain that spring day like the forecast had suggested, in fact, the sun shone brightly and the temperature rose to a splendid 68 degrees. Egan, now 4, fidgeted as he struggled to stand still, his small hand holding his mother's.. His dark hair reminded Abraham of his brother, but did not elicit any emotions. Phoebe stood tall and proud, like always. Cleo had grown her hair out and was currently working with a horse farmer, a job that utilized her discipline. Iris worked at the local bank, and was beloved by all practically the entire town, but was particularly smitten with a young teacher. They had been dating for 7 months.

Delphi was about the same, except that she now wore a wedding band and her stomach was swollen tight.

"Twins!" She had told John. "Twins! Can you believe it?"

John kissed her on the cheek and squeezed her shoulders. He searched for memories of a time when he had been more happy, but found only one.

She stood beside Henry now, his hand on the small of her back, twisting strands of her long red hair between his fingers that were almost never clean because he now worked as a mechanic at his own shop.

The priest finished his speech and most everyone walked away, leaving John staring down into the deep hole they would lay his friend in.

John still considered Winston a friend. He didn't know why, but perhaps it was the same reason that had beckoned each of the sisters to attend the funeral.

 _Life has a funny way of pulling us in,_ John thought.

Life, or that redheaded girl.

After Helen died, John wondered if there was room in his heart for anyone else. He had found some space with Delphi, and she had made that space her own. She worked diligently to clean out his hatred of the world and instead filled him up with love and friendship, as well as 3 more girls who now loved him like a father.

The dog barked once from the passenger seat of the mustang. He was getting old and gray now, much like John. The noise pulled John back to reality.

Egan ran towards him as he made his way back to his family. "Papaw!" The boy started, "Aunt Cleo says that I can't count to 20 but I actually can!" He shouted excitedly.

"Well then let's hear it," John told him as he scooped the boy up, his small arms wrapping around John's neck.

Delphi sat in the passenger seat, one of Henry's hands on the wheel and the other on her knee. She was incredibly hot, itchy, tired, and hungry, but she was usually always those things nowadays, considering she was 32 weeks pregnant with not one, but two.

She rested her head against the cool window and watched John speak lovingly to her nephew, much like she imagined he would do to her sons. The man grinned widely as the small boy skipped thirteen as he was counting and went straight on to fourteen. John was no longer the ruthless Baba Yaga everyone had grown to fear.

She hoped this was the John Wick the world would remember.


End file.
